ADAPTIVE MODE OPTIMIZER AND MODE SHIFTER

• US 20140242924A1
• Filed: 02/26/2013
• Published: 08/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Altamira Technologies Corporation
• Original Assignee: Invertix
• Inventors: UHL, Brecken H.
• Granted Patent: US 9,112,589 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0064 with separate antennas for the more than one band H04B1/0053 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/525 with means for reducing leakage of transmitter signal into the receiver

Abstract

A mode shifter connects via an input port to an antenna port of a transceiver. A port signal analyzer monitors the signal at the input port and informs a signal switch whether the signal power exceeds a threshold value. When the signal power does not exceed the threshold value, the signal switch connects the input port (and consequently the antenna port of the transceiver) to a receive path comprising a receive signal processor, an antenna selection processor, and an antenna port. When the signal exceeds the threshold value, the signal switch connects the input port (and consequently the antenna port of the transceiver) to a transmit path comprising a transmit signal processor, the antenna selection processor, and an antenna port.

Claims

1. A mode shifter circuit comprising:

an input port configured to receive a signal from an antenna port of a radio frequency (RF) transceiver;

a port signal analyzer configured to perform operations comprising;

determining whether a power measurement of the transceiver signal exceeds a threshold; and

issuing a transmit command signal to a signal switch to connect the input port to a transmit path when the power measurement exceeds the threshold,

wherein the transmit path comprises a transmit signal processor configured to perform operations comprising;

shifting the transceiver signal to a shifted signal band, wherein the shifted signal band is lower or higher that a native frequency band of the transceiver, and

communicating the shifted transceiver signal to at least one antenna for transmission.

2. The circuit of claim 1,

wherein the port signal analyzer is further configured to perform operations comprising:

determining at least one signal characteristic of the transceiver signal; and

communicating the at least one signal characteristic to an antenna selection processor, and

wherein the antenna selection processor is configured to perform operations comprising issuing an antenna selection command to an antenna selection switch using the at least one signal characteristic, and

wherein the antenna selection switch is configured to perform operations comprising selecting in response to the antenna selection command the at least one antenna.

3. The circuit of claim 2, wherein the at least one signal characteristic is selected from the group consisting of a signal power density, a signal quality, a data rate, a signal polarization, and a signal amplitude.

4. The circuit of claim 1, wherein each of the at least one antennas is independently configured.

5. The circuit of claim 1,

wherein the antenna selection processor is configured to perform operations comprising:

receiving at least one antenna characteristic;

selecting the least one antenna using the at least one antenna characteristic; and

issuing an antenna selection command to an antenna selection switch, and

wherein the antenna selection switch is configured to perform operations comprising selecting in response to the antenna selection command the at least one antenna.

6. The circuit of claim 5, wherein the at least one antenna characteristic is selected from the group consisting of a spatial transmission pattern, a polarization, a gain measure, a bandwidth, a data rate, an impedance measure, and a pointing direction.

7. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the at least one antenna comprises a plurality of antennas configured to form a phased array.

8. The circuit of claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of antennas is assigned a weight function.

9. The circuit of claim 8, wherein the weight functions of the plurality of antennas are pre-determined.

10. The circuit of claim 8, wherein the weight functions of the plurality of antennas are determined by the antenna selection processor.

11. The circuit of claim 1 further, wherein,

the port signal analyzer is configured to further perform operations comprising issuing a received command signal to the signal switch to connect the input port to a receive path when the power measurement is less than or equal to the threshold, and

the receive path comprises a receive signal processor configured to perform operations comprising:

receiving a signal in the shifted signal band;

shifting the received signal to a native frequency band of the transceiver, and

sending the shifted received signal via the signal switch and the input port to the transceiver.

12. A mode shifter comprising:

L mode shifter modules each comprising a port signal analyzer, a signal switch, and a transmit signal processor, wherein L is equal to or greater than 2; and

L input ports, wherein each of the L input ports is electrically connected to one of the L mode shifter modules and configured to receive a transceiver signal from any of one or more antenna ports of a radio frequency (RF) transceiver, and wherein for each of the L mode shifter modules;

the port signal analyzer is configured to perform operations comprising;

determining whether a power measurement of the transceiver signal exceeds a threshold; and

issuing a transmit command signal to the signal switch to connect the input port to a transmit path when the power measurement exceeds the threshold,

wherein the transmit path comprises the transmit signal processor configured to perform operations comprising;

shifting the transceiver signal to a shifted signal band, wherein the shifted signal band is lower or higher that a native frequency band of the transceiver, and

communicating the shifted transceiver signal to at least one antenna for transmission.

13. The mode shifter of claim 12, wherein L mode shifter modules each further comprise an antenna selection processor and an antenna selection switch and wherein for each of the L mode shifter modules:

the port signal analyzer is further configured to perform operations comprising;

determining at least one signal characteristic of the transceiver signal; and

communicating the at least one signal characteristic to the antenna selection processor, and

the antenna selection processor is configured to perform operations comprising issuing an antenna selection command to the antenna selection switch using the at least one signal characteristic, and

the antenna selection switch is configured to perform operations comprising selecting in response to the antenna selection command the at least one antenna.

14. The mode shifter of claim 13, wherein the at least one signal characteristic is selected from the group consisting of a signal power density, a signal quality, a data rate, a signal polarization, and a signal amplitude.

15. The mode shifter of claim 12, wherein each of the at least one antenna is independently configured.

16. The mode shifter of claim 13, wherein for each of the L mode shifter modules:

the antenna selection processor is configured to perform operations comprising;

receiving at least one antenna characteristic;

selecting the at least one antenna using the at least one antenna characteristic; and

issuing an antenna selection command to an antenna selection switch, and

the antenna selection switch is configured to perform operations comprising selecting in response to the antenna selection command the at least one antenna.

17. The mode shifter of claim 16, wherein the at least one antenna characteristic is selected from the group consisting of a spatial transmission pattern, a polarization, a gain measure, a bandwidth, a data rate, an impedance measure, and a pointing direction.

18. The mode shifter of claim 12, wherein the at least one antenna comprises a plurality of antennas configured to form a phased array.

19. The mode shifter of claim 18, wherein each of the plurality of antennas is assigned a weight function.

20. The mode shifter of claim 19, wherein the weight functions of the plurality of antennas are pre-determined.

21. The mode shifter of claim 19, wherein the L mode shifter modules each further comprise an antenna selection processor and wherein for each of the L mode shifter modules the weight functions of the plurality of antennas are determined by the antenna selection processor.

22. The mode shifter of claim 12, wherein the L mode shifter modules each further comprise a receive signal processor and wherein for each of the L mode shifter modules:

the port signal analyzer is configured to further perform operations comprising issuing a received command signal to the signal switch to connect the input port to a receive path when the power measurement is less than or equal to the threshold, the receive path comprises the receive signal processor configured to perform operations comprising;

receiving a signal in the shifted signal band;

shifting the received signal to a native frequency band of the transceiver, and

sending the shifted received signal via the signal switch and the input port to the transceiver.